Indiana Bum

Frequently Asked Questions

• General Indiana Bum Universe and History
• Indiana Bum and the Pamphlet of the Dead

General Indiana Bum Universe and History

Who came up with this nonsense anyway?

The character of Indiana Bum was spontaneously created one summer afternoon when Tracy Bowersox and Jordan Rebman decided to make a movie. The entire premise of the movie as well as the character of Indiana Bum was inspired by the hat that they happened to find laying around the house. So, in a sense Tracy and Jordan pulled Indiana Bum out of their hat.

How old is Indiana Bum supposed to be?

Indiana Bum is 35 years old. The Indiana Bum business was started by Indiana Bum -I (the negative first). We can't say more at this time because the details are part of a script currently under development.

If Indiana Bum is 35 years old why is he played by a 14 year-old? And why is the old man played by a teen?

Its all just part of the fun. The wild twisting of expectations keeps it fresh and innocent. In the immortal words of Joel: say to yourself "It's just a show, I should really just relax."

What's next for Indiana Bum?

We are currently developing multiple scripts and which one we do will depend on which one is finished first. The next Indiana Bum will feature either time travel or a golem or a strange cult of string-eaters. Or possibly a combination of two or more of those.

Indiana Bum and the Pamphlet of the Dead

I've heard "Indiana Bum and the Pamphlet of the Dead" referred to as IB3. Why?

"Indiana Bum and the Pamphlet of the Dead" is the third movie to feature Indiana Bum. (See History of the Bum for more details.) But since no one is likley to have seen the first two we didn't make the 3 prominent in the title. IB3 is much easier to say and write, however, than "Indiana Bum and the Pamphlet of the Dead" so it is still used among people that are totally hep, cool, and happening.

I read an interview with Jordan Rebman where he said of the premier: "If I would have made a movie like this I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to screen it at Liberty Hall, Tracy doesn’t care. He doesn’t want it to fail and so he’s going to make sure it doesn’t." Does Jordan like the movie or not?

Well Jordan has said many times that he likes the movie, especially the part with the old man, so I think we need to interpret his comments like this:
"If I would have made a movie like this --one so quirky and wonderfully witty but so far out of the mainstream-- I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to screen it at Liberty Hall, Tracy doesn’t care about social pressure to conform to someone's narrow views of movies. He doesn’t want it to fail and so he’s going to make sure it doesn’t. Because he has drive, vision, and energy."

Of course we haven't had a chance to talk to Jordan about it yet so it is just possible that he meant this:
"If I would have made a movie like this --one so low budget and cheesy-- I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to screen it at Liberty Hall, Tracy doesn’t care about anyone's opinion but his own. He doesn’t want it to fail and so he’s going to make sure it doesn’t. by crushing to pulp anyone that gets in his way!"

Heck, he might even have meant this:
"If I would have made a movie like this I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to screen it at Liberty Hall, I mean I'm even afraid of tiny little spiders. Tracy doesn’t care about me the way that he used to. He never sends me flowers. He doesn’t want it to fail the way that I failed all my Math tests and so he’s going to make sure it doesn’t. by crushing to pulp anyone that gets in his way!"

When we have a chance to get clarification we will update this answer.

PS (Just kidding Jordan!)

Why is there duct tape on the branch of Araquooduh?

The branch is broken when Bum finds it in the first movie and it must be repaired. Besides, what better symbolizes spiritual healing and a second chance at life than duct tape?

Are each of the items on Bum's shelves in the opening credits featured in an Indiana Bum movie?

Not yet.

Is Patsy one of Bum's supernatural artifacts?

No. We toyed around with the idea of Patsy being a regular horse that had an unfortunate run-in with a wood chipper but we instead opted to have her be a perfectly ordinary stick-horse with perfectly ordinary stick-horse needs and wants. She just happens to have stumbled into a life of danger and excitement and prefers it to life in the wild.

The pamphlet was stolen from the "Kansas City Intitute of Old Stuff" but Taunton's shop is located in Monkey Gate, New Jersey. What gives?

These are not the droids you're looking for.

I found the references to "Koko Taylor's tailor's cocoa shop" and "Yo-Yo Ma's mama's yo-yo shop" to be a delightful and unique plays on words. Were they improvised or were they part of the script?

What an excellent and refined question! They were in the script, except that instead of the Koko Taylor reference we had "Kofi Annan's auntie's coffee shop". We had to change it because no one knew that Kofi Annan is the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Who is Kofi Annan?

Uh, he's the Secretary-General of the United Nations. I just explained that when I told you about the Koko Taylor line.

Who is Koko Taylor?

Koko Taylor is a female blues singer known for the gravely growling she introduces into her voice for emphasis. Incidently, Koko Taylor is "Queen of the Blues" but she has never been married to the "King of the Blues", B.B. King and neither of them have any familial ties to Prince. Go figure!

Who is Prince?

I think I hear your mother calling.